A Hero's Magic
by Atelesentropy
Summary: Sometimes even a hero needs saving.
1. Prologue

Although it goes without saying I'll still say it. I don't own it and I'm not profiting from it (except maybe being able to sleep now that it's out of my head).

Note: The events in the prologue are fiction based loosely upon a true story and do not necessarily (I can really only speak for myself) represent the opinions of the author, , CBS, CSI: Miami, etc. etc. They are simply a plot driver intended for that purpose.

I knew you needed a friend.  
I knew you needed some blue skies.  
You need some laughter again,  
til magic returns to your blue eyes.   
You're lost in the circle of pain.  
Where's it all going?   
Each day is the same,  
where are you going?

--Say Hello, Nitin Sawhney  
  
Horatio Caine waited patiently as his team slowly gathered into the layout room. Even perpetually cheerful Calleigh dragged from the few hours of sleep he had afforded them. Off to the right, the windows to the room were dotted with a soft warm rain that brought a certain melancholy with it. He feared what it meant.

Speed flashed him a tight smile from behind the steaming cup off coffee held close as he walked in.

"Ohhh." Calleigh groan jealously.

Speed looked off into the distance and licked his lips. "No." His voice was flat and final.

"Please?"

"No." he took a gulp singeing his tongue in the process.

"Pretty please?"

"Oh for hell sake." He held the cup out to her. "A sip. Okay?"

"Thank you." She cooed gratefully, taking the cup and inhaling the life giving steam. "Mmm, vanilla." She took a careful sip. "Have I told you I love you recently?"

"Yeah." He said it true Tim Speedle form, "So, it's not going to work." He wiggled his fingers motioning for the cup. "Give it back now."

She stuck her lip out in a pout that generally got her her way but handed the cup back to him.

"Better get that looked at." He said pointing to her lip, "Might be anaphylactic."

"Here ya go Cal." Alexx's creamy voice broke in. "I still love you." She handed Calleigh a Styrofoam cup raising her own in a small toast.

"Oh don't get me wrong." Speed defended himself without much emotion. "I love you too, just not as much as coffee at 2:30 in the morning after working all day. "You agree, don't you Delko."

Eric staggered in drizzling himself down a chair and rested his head on the table. "I'll agree to anything if you let me sleep."

Caine stood silent through the banter. It meant a great deal that they could carry on such a meaningless yet meaning filled conversation in front of him. "Ladies and gentlemen." He broke in at the natural lapse waiting until he had their full attention. "I know you're tired but we have a missing little boy out there who needs us."

Muttered agreements and nods answered him and each pulled themselves up a bit higher forcing their minds awake.

"Speed, you have something?"

"Um, yeah." He set his cup on the table and pulled a folder from under his arm handing it to Horatio. "We found the teacher at a hotel on 70. "He pressed his finger into his eyes in an effort to relieve the sting. "No Jacob."

"Did you find _anything_?" Calleigh asked, her tiredness burned away by the announcement.

"Only that Mr. Marty Mathews, aka, Chris Davies, aka, Marty Medeskar, and so on and so on, is wanted in six states for kidnapping, child molesting, drugs, kiddie porn and that's just for starters. Truly stellar guy."

"It gets him off the streets." Eric said with grim satisfaction.

"But it doesn't find Jacob." Caine said.

"He insists he never touched the boy. So far, he's fessed up to molesting six others in Jacob's class. But not Jacob." Speed informed the group.

"And we believe him?" Alexx asked indignantly.

"This time we do." Caine answered closing the file.

"Why?" Calleigh asked between sips.

"Hair color." Speed answered, anger creeping into his voice. "In ever case he's suspected in the child had blond hair. Jacob is a carrot top." He looked at his boss realizing what he's just said. "Sorry."

"No apology necessary."

"So if he doesn't have the boy, who does?" Eric asked.

"Let's go over what we know. " Horatio guided.

"We arrived at the scene at 6:53. You found mom stabbed." Calleigh began. "Evidence from the car tells us that someone other than mom was driving. Besides the position of the driver's seat, we found her blood on the passenger seat which also tells us that she was in the car after being stabbed."

"Placement and angle of the wounds tells me that she was standing for all three thrusts. Whoever stabbed her knows how to kill slow and painful." Alexx added.

"Which means that we don't have the primary scene." Eric stated.

"Mm hmm." Horatio agreed, his eyes cast down as he recreated what was being told to him on the page in his mind.

"We also know from the car that the child had been in the back seat within an hour." Calleigh continued.

"How do you know that?" Alexx asked.

"French fries were still edible."

"Excuse me."

"The child's meal we found on the back seat had french fries. When the oil used to make the fries cools and congeals the fries wrinkle and go soggy. These ones still had their shape."

"So we have a starting place for our timeline." Caine nodded, mentally filing the vital information and smiled at Alexx who was shaking her head.

"You're amazing." She said, "Scary, but amazing. Who would have ever thought you could solve a crime with a french fry."

"It's not solved yet," Horatio said, "but good work."

"So back to my question, if the teach doesn't have the boy, who does?" Eric interjected.

Caine let his head bowed as he processed. "Hates him." He murmured. He tilted his head, looking at the windows where the light spatter had become heavy turrets of rain dribbling sloppily along invisible paths.

"H?" Speed asked, leaning in. He had worked side by side with the veteran CSI long enough to know when something important was being played on the stage that was the man's mind."

"Speed, do you remember what the mother said?"

"Um, she said he's the teacher has him and she tried to stop him and he hates him."

"Word for word."

"Uh." Speed looked up at the ceiling and licked his lips, his eyes darting back and forth as he accessed the memory. "Word for word," he let out a hesitant sigh, "You asked where the boy was. She said the teacher has him. He hates him now. She tried to get away. I think."

Caine nodded as he thought. "Say it again."

"H, you were there."

Horatio lifted his eyes, his head still bowed, giving the younger man a look of mild rebuke.

"Okay. Uh..." he pushed the heels of his hands against his burning eyes, "You asked if the boy was with her, if he was hurt. She said his teacher's got him."

"Hang on a minute. The first time you said has him, that time you said got him. Which is it?"

Speed's eyes widened. "I don't know."

"That's okay. Let's look at this. Mom says the teacher has him. That could be interpreted several ways. Now, bear with me, what if the mother said the teacher got him."

"Meaning mom knows he was abusing children and thinks he abused Jacob." Calleigh voiced.

Horatio nodded, "Meaning mom knew. But..."

"We know that the teacher couldn't have taken Jacob. Hotel records and surveillance show he had checked in at 6:17." Speed said. "We also know the mother purchased the food at 6:04."

"Leaving 13 minutes." Horatio put the number out letting their eager if tired minds work at it.

"Not enough time to stab the mother, take the boy and get to the hotel." Eric said.

Horatio frowned, "So we need to find out who – who hates him. Speed, wasn't there something more than that?"

Speed nodded, "Yeah, she said hates him now."

"Now." Horatio stared out the window into the blackness beyond. "Meaning whoever has him didn't once."

"The father." Eric said with unabashed surety and began riffling through the papers he'd brought in with him.

"The father." Horatio echoed.

"Here." The young Cuban lifted a page. "I did a background check on dear ol' dad. Three arrests for domestic violence in the last two years. He also has two priors."

"Specify." Caine urged.

"Uh, first one, twelve years ago, aggravated assault. Bar fight. And uh, the second - he and four college buddies were arrested ten years ago. Waited outside a gay bar and..."

Horatio tipped his head. "And tortured a young man. I remember reading about it. I thought his name was familiar." Caine's jaw flexed with anger.

"Oh my God! He thinks the boy is..?" Calleigh's whispered revelation filled the room.

"Yep. Okay, here's what we're going to do, Speed, Eric go back to the home. We need something that will tell us where he is. Calleigh, I need you here with me going over the evidence we collected from the home earlier. Alexx, back to the mother's body."

The team dispersed moving like a well crafted machine.

"Gentlemen." Caine stopped them as they pushed through the door. "I need you to be careful out there. If he is at that house you do not enter until back up arrives. No matter how much we want to help this boy, you come first, no heroics. Am I clear?"

"Got it H." Eric answered somberly and Speed nodded.

"Keep me posted."

Horatio set down the papers he was working through and kneading his neck. The tick of the clock beat a steady counter rhythm to the throbbing of his head making the pages nearly impossible to read. He could feel the effects of no sleep tearing at him, breaking his concentration and fueling his anger and he wondered for the thousandth time how his team was doing. "Speed must be near impossible to deal with at this point." He muttered to himself, making a mental note to call the quietly temperamental young man soon. Worry thickened the already heavy buzz in his ears that threatened to shatter his cool exterior. It had been nearly an hour an a half since he had sent his overly tired team out in search of where a crazed father might take his son. And while he had been in close contact with them he worried that the lack of sleep would soon be too detrimental to continue. But he couldn't give up on the boy and he knew his team would not give up for him. Still, where to draw the line? When did the needs of those he supervised come before those of a six year old boy?

"Hey handsome."

Horatio opened his eyes. "Calleigh, I was just going to come find you. How are you holding up?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question."

Horatio gave a little laugh and wiped a hand across his face. "Ones like this make me doubt how good a CSI I really am." He confessed quietly.

"The best there is." She admonished without hesitation. "We'll find him."

"Thank you." He smiled, taking courage in her unwavering belief in him. "So, how are you?"

"I'm okay."

"And I believe you?" he said looking at the deep rings under her eyes that gave her pretty face a bruised look.

"Well isn't dry yet."

"Calleigh how far is to far?"

"As long as you've got something to give I will too."

"Calleigh, you don't have to anything prove."

"You don't understand." She answered softly, her eyes searching the papers stacked carefully in front of him. "Horatio, what's that?"

He looked to where she pointed. "This?"

"No, that one." She pointed to a small yellow sheet of paper.

"Looks like some sort of receipt." He handed it to her.

"Dues for something. I can't read it." She studied the slip for a minute. "Hey, do we know what the father does for a living?"

"Right here." Caine said, shifting through papers from the file Eric had left. "Landscape maintenance."

She leaned over his shoulder, perusing the file for herself. "On campus."

"Does that mean something to you?"

"I don't know." She pulled at her earlobe while she thought. "Wasn't there a big to do on campus a few months ago about an anti-gay club being organized?"

"Yes, yes there was. There was a protest against the school that got out of hand when the administration let the group buy a house off fraternity row." He threw the file down. "Good catch. Okay, I need you to call Speed. Get him and Eric in route and call out the cavalry. Tell them to use extreme, I repeat extreme caution. This guy will be like a cornered animal and go after the boy if he feels threatened." He slammed through the door at a near run, any traces of fatigue absent from his angry confident stride.

Caine pushed the heavy door open with his gun. With the moon being hidden by clouds the inside of the old house was pitch dark forcing him to hold his flashlight in one hand and gun in the other, uneasy and unsecure positioning at best. Heavy deep wooden stairs dominated the entrance hall leading to the rooms upstairs. A quick search of the entrance told Horatio the house was under renovation giving the suspect not only multiple places to ambush him but also virtually limitless weapons. He looked behind him at the empty street where his lone Hummer sat silent. It was a gamble going in by himself. Each of his team knew he wouldn't tolerate such recklessness from them - but the boy's life was at stake, if he was still alive. He dropped his aim slightly letting the light fall on the debris strewn floor and made the choice to enter the premises alone. He moved slowly, room by room taking each step with caution. A thin slip of light came from under a door at the end of the hall. He looked back again to the entrance now bathed in light from the nearly full moon slipping for a moment from its hiding place in the clouds and nodded. The storm that had hit so suddenly had dissipated just as quickly leaving only a hot muggy night that carried a feeling of unrest and agitation. The thin wail of sirens in the distance could already be heard, he didn't have much time left.

"Michael." Horatio's voice was soft but menacing as he pushed the door open. He held his gun firmly but with a slightly relaxed aim giving him more freedom with the flashlight. "Michael where's the boy?"

The man whipped around at his name, His eyes flashed wildly around the room, landing on the prone body of his son several feet away.

Caine lifted his gun getting a true aim and dared a glance at the child. His heart beat raced at the sight of the child's chest rising in oblivious sleep.

"Michael it's over now. We know about the teacher. He's been taken into custody. He won't hurt another child. I promise you that."

"That doesn't fix what he did to my boy." The young man hissed, his eyes flinching as they skimmed the small body.

"That might be true." Caine agreed calmly. "If..."

"I will not have a son that's gay!" He screamed overtop of Horatio.

"I understand." Horatio said, feeling his control over the situation slipping. "Michael, I need you to listen to me."

"The bible says they are an aberration in the sight of God."

"Your son did nothing wrong."

"That doesn't matter. That monster defiled him making my son something that disgusts me. God burned Sodom and Gomorrah. I can do no less."

"Michael I can't let you do that."

"Daddy?"

The small voice stole Horatio's attention for the merest flicker of a second - a flash longer than he could afford. He felt skin split and the heat of blood flood down his face as a wood plank connected with his temple. His gun flew from his hand landing at the father's feet. Through the vertigo that enfolded him he watched the boy's father pick up the fateful gift.

He fell to his knees grappling with consciousness. "Michael, don't."

Pop. Pop. Pop. The sound, through the rushing buzz that was quickly invading his consciousness, seemed no more than a child's toy. He swallowed hard, his grasp on reality slipping. "The teacher never touched him. You're boy was..." Blessed darkness stole him from the pain and he fell, his head coming to rest beside the tiny lifeless body, the boy's blood pooling like a crown turning his hair a deeper shade of red.


	2. Broken Heart & Blue Skies

Calleigh felt her heart break as she watched him place the single white rose on the grave.

She could see his hand trembling as he lightly brushed it over the rich dark wood. "I'm sorry, Jacob." He whispered, his voice graveled with emotion. An angry red gash held together with butterfly bandages ran at a sharp angle across the left side of his brow, the souvenir left from the boy's father taking a 2x4 to his head. "I was wrong." He looked out to the horizon and smiled sadly and she wondered who he searched for when his eyes wandered as they so often did to that place where time stilled for a moment before passing into eternity.

The graveyard was nearly empty now, the services having ended more than an hour earlier. Soon the diggers would appear to lower the coffin into the crypt and bury it leaving only a slight bump under thick grass to mark where a small boy who had suffered at the hands of the one who should have been his greatest hero would lay. She hovered in the shadows of the great oak trees that stood over the grave like guardians left by a watchful god giving him time and space to mourn. But she was there nonetheless ready to give him the strength he had unselfishly given her countless times over the years.

She stepped out of the morning shadows as he made his way across the cemetery. "Hi."

"I thought that was you lurking. What are you doing here?" He asked, his hands going to his hips, fingers tapping out a restless rhythm.

"She shrugged noncommittally, "I didn't want you to do this one alone. I guess I thought you might need a friend."

"More than you know." He said simply pulling the dark glasses from his face and settling them around his neck.

"I was going to pick you up but I was a little late getting to your house this morning and you'd already gone. Bad hair day."

Horatio smiled. "It's beautiful, as always."

"I wish you meant that."

"I do."

"Not my hair, the smile."

"Oh." He hung his head unable to answer.

"Horatio you did everything you could." She said, laying a hand on his arm, waiting for a response she knew wasn't coming. "But that doesn't help does it."

"Nope. No it doesn't."

They stood side by side at the low brick wall that separated the cemetery from the park beyond unable to find any words worth saying, the silence becoming a chasm she couldn't bridge.

"It's a beautiful day. I haven't seen the sky this blue in weeks." She said, breaking the silence with meaningless words. Her eyes wandered the cloudless sky the same intense blue his eyes used to be. A sob caught in her throat at the memory of those eyes that were now dull drown by sorrow and self doubt. Blue eyes that only days before overflowed with so much fire, so much magic that anyone who knew Horatio Caine feed like an addict off it.

'Whoever out there loves him,' she plead silently, 'help me. Help me bring the magic back.'

"Do you believe in me, Horatio?" She asked him suddenly.

"I went 800 miles and over two heads to get you." he replied in answer.

"Do you believe there's a heaven?"

"I believe in hell too."

"Come with me?"

"To heaven or hell?"

"I guess that will depend upon your perspective."


	3. Believe in Me

Calleigh took Horatio's hand as they walked down the hall of the school. "This is where that whole believe in me thing comes into play." She told him.

"Is this what you weekly meeting is?" He asked referring to the two hour block on Tuesday mornings she had arranged to have off every week."

"Mm, hmm. I thought when I first started coming that I did it for a break but I've found their energy rubs off on you."

"And that's what you think I need?"

She stopped and turned to him. "I don't know what it is you need." She said in quiet honesty. "All I know is that you're hurting and you're trying to make it through alone just like you've done I don't know how many times and I just..." she shrugged, "I guess I want to be the one there for you this time." She looked away unable to bear the heartbreak that looking into his eyes blunted by pain and self recrimination brought her.

Suddenly she doubted her wisdom in bringing him. "We won't stay long, okay. I promised them I'd been here today. "

"Take your time." He said, knowing that she needed to be here to lift her own heart after the tragedy they all suffered from. "Calleigh? Thank you." Despite his reticence at being there he was touched by her desire to help him.

"For what?"

He looked at the checkerboard tiled floor and explored through the guilt that ate at him. "I should be the one making sure you're okay not drowning in myself."

"I'm a good swimmer." Calleigh said with a shyly flirtatious smile. "Besides, doesn't every little girl hold a dream of being the hero for her hero? Can I help it if I just happened to pick one that wasn't there the day they warned y'all about Kryptonite?"

He smiled as taken back by what she hadn't said as what she had. And for just a moment the inner fire that had been missing since the boy's death flickered in his eyes.

"Come on." She said, squeezing his hand. "We're right there." She tilted her head toward a door several yards away. The walked the short distance in silence stopping just shy of the doorway. She took deep breath and put a bright smile on her face. "Shall we?" she whispered and without waiting for his answer silently opened the door. They stopped just inside the doorway their senses almost immediately saturated with the colors and sounds of a child's world.

"Hi y'all." Somehow she had lifted her voice over the low thunder of twenty-two aspiring Picassos at work

"Calleigh!" a cacophony of little voices blasted them and the thunder became that of child's feet rushing to see her.

Calleigh took a few steps into the room and bent down hugging the first few children who had won the race to reach her. "Micky." She said fondly, rubbing one boy's thick ash blond hair. She laughed as the others gathered around her little hands reaching over each other eager to touch her. A thin yelp was all she managed before the thrust of the mass pushed her over and she landed unceremoniously at Horatio's feet her back against his legs.

She looked up at him an amused flush coloring her cheeks and smiled at the chuckle that had made it beyond the hurt that weighed so heavily on him.

"Wait, wait, stop." She called out loudly, laughing as she warded of the hands still eagerly reaching for her.

A tall thin chocolate skinned woman stepped forward, "Class." The single syllable was enough to quiet the storm of voices. "Everyone needs to take three giant steps back."

Her orders were met with groans and mutters as the children milled about trying to figure out how to fulfill the request while still staying close to their treat.

"With me now." The teacher said, holding up her hand, "all together one," she paused as the children mingled around, "two", again she waited, "one more, three. And everyone sit down. Thank you."

"Thank you Rosemary." Calleigh said, flashing the woman a warm smile.

She pulled herself to her feet using the hand Horatio had extended for support. "Enthusiastic." He observed with a slight tilt to his head.

"That? She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "That's nothing. But thanks for having my back." She added playfully.

"Always."

"I know." She thanked him quietly, squeezing his hand.

"Hey y'all." She said, her bright accented voice immediately gaining their attention. "I'd like you to say hi to a friend of mine. This is Lieutenant Horatio Caine."

"Hello Lieutenant Caine." The children chimed as one.

"Is he a police man like you?" One boy asked, pointing at the badge peaking from under the edge of his suit coat.

"As a matter of fact he is. But he is a special kind of police officer.

"Do you have lots of guns, like Calleigh does?" One boy asked.

Horatio laughed. "I have a few guns but not as many as she does."

"You see," Calleigh took back over, "He is in charge of a team of policemen called Crime Scene Investigators who use science to help catch bad guys and put them in jail. Do you remember us doing the science experiment last week?" That's what he does."

"A team like when we play dodge ball?"

"Kind of like that. Only on this team each of us has special things that we do. I know all about guns and bullets, like I showed you. We also work with a man named Tim Speedle who uses special computers to see molecules which are tiny pieces of things. He uses them to find out what everything is made of or if something doesn't belong. And we work with a man named Eric Delko. Eric is like a fish. He knows all about the lakes and rivers and water here in Miami and often has to go diving to help us find evidence."

"What do you do?" Horatio looked down at a little voice. A small dark skinned girl with long hair done up in a thick braid stood beside him, her eyes alight with curiosity.

"He's special." Calleigh said before Horatio could answer. "Not only is he the leader of our team but he knows all about fire."

"You're a fireman?" several of the children said in awe.

"No, he doesn't put out the fires like a fireman does. He goes in after a fire happens and can tell people how it started, where it started, what started it and even who started it."

"Wow!" the children chorused and sent a thousand questions his way.

"Okay class let's not forget that you have projects you're working on."

The group groaned.

"I know you want to spend time with Calleigh and her friend, but if you want to have your paintings done for Parent's Day you need to get back to work."

"Why don't..." Calleigh said over top of a fresh round of groans, "What do you think about Horatio and I walking around and all y'all can show us your projects. How 'bout that."

A round a cheers followed her suggestion and the children quickly scattered.

Horatio felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down to find the little girl from before looking up at him. "Are you magic?"

"No." he answered gently. "But sometimes, sometimes I wish I was."

Her brown creased in doubt at his response.

The image of Jacob's small broken body swept through his vision as he settled on his toes beside her sending a crashing wave of vertigo through him that nearly tipped him over.

"Horatio." Calleigh's voice was laced with alarm. She pushed up against him her arms wrapping him tightly giving him a solid foundation to lean against. "Are you okay?" He eyes going to the gash on his forehead. "I think you've had enough. Time to go."

"No." he protested, leaning heavily against her nonetheless. "I'll be fine. I want you to stay."

"It isn't about me this time." She scolded. "I should have taken you straight home."

"I'm fine." He struggled to a stand, aware of her hands hovering protectively around him. "I just need to sit down for a minute. Besides you promised them. At least you should go around and see their projects. You will not break that kind of promise because of me."

"Horatio."

"Calleigh." The tilt of his head told her that she wouldn't win this one.

"Has anyone every told you you're too damn stubborn? Don't answer that. Fine." She nodded her acceptance reluctantly and took his arm as much for her assurance as his and guided him across the room.

Horatio sat down in a child's sized chair near the back of the room and leaned forward his elbows resting on his thighs, his hands locked in front of him.

"You're sure?" she tried one last time kneeling protectively beside him.

"Go. I'm fine."

"A few minutes and then we go."

He nodded his acceptance of the compromise. Calleigh looked him over once again, her eyes following the yellow bruise that covered his left temple and cheek. "I don't like this."

"Noted. Go."

She looked over her shoulder several times and shook her head as she made her way back to the classroom area of the room. Within seconds eager faces lined up to show her their latest creations and successes. He watched as each one approached her showing her a tidbit of something in turn receiving from her unfettered praise that left each face glowing as they moved away making room for the next in line, her eyes coming up between each child to check on him.

The cold lifeless body of a little boy who would never again sell a handcrafted masterpiece for a word of praise and a smile invaded his vision and he dropped his head fighting tears that threatened to surface. His arrogance had cost the boy his life.

"Calleigh." Calleigh felt Rosemary's hand cover hers, "look." The handsome woman whispered.

Calleigh looked across the room where Horatio sat. The small girl that had taken such an interest in him before stood only feet away from him taking minuscule steps that inched her gradually towards the unsuspecting man. Calleigh watched with trepidation as the girl studied Horatio, her head tilting one way and then other as if he was a 3-D rendering that moved when she did.

She had brought Horatio here hoping the exuberant curiosity the children shared with her would relight the passion and assurance that had been so cruelly stripped away when Jacob's father had brutally murdered him while Horatio lay injured, helpless to save him. She wondered now if it only fueled the guilt of the boy's loss.

"Rosemary..." she murmured. "He's been hurt so much already."

"Just wait."

"I can't..." she felt her heart tearing apart. "What if he..."

"Calleigh, trust it." She said referring to the bond the child had already formed with him.

'Please be gentle with his heart little one.' She plead in silent prayer.


	4. Magic Hearts

Horatio stiffened imperceptibly at the touch of tiny fingers in his hair. He had seen her approaching from the periphery but was nonetheless caught off guard at her touch. He kept his head half bowed not wanting to frighten her as she investigated him. For a time she played back and forth with his hair and a the end of the braid that fell over her shoulder clearly fascinated by the differences between it and his fine smooth red hair. Once her curiosity with his hair was satiated her hand moved down to his, her finger tracing designs on his skin by joining freckles on his hand like a connect-the-dot picture. She smiled to herself at the little game pulling back only for a second when he unlaced his fingers and rested his arms on his legs giving her a greater surface area to explore. After a time, bored now with her game but comfortable with the feel of his skin and rhythm of his breath, her curiosity turned to his face. He smiled at her but her eyes looked past his her concentration falling first on the creases from the joys, stress and sorrows of life that lined his face and then to the vestiges of the bruise that discolored and marred him. Her fingers traced the crows feet branching from the corners of his eyes, indelible reminders of each burden his heart carried, then down the laugh lines that enclosed his mouth. Time and again she stroked his cheek with her hand enthralled with the tactile sensation of his smooth shaven skin that hinted at the stubble that would be there by day's end. He smiled wondering what she would think running her hand down Speed's thick stubble and her eyes widened with wonder at the dimple that flirted on his right check. She continued to study his features her hands running over it again and again like a blind person memorizing a lover's face, her hands and eyes ever returning to the dimple as it appeared and disappeared with his smile. Her gaze wandered over his face finally fixated on the bruised and inflamed gash on his forehead. Without awareness, her hand sought out the thin scar that laced her otherwise beautiful face her finger exploring it in proxy for his.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Not so much anymore." He assured her.

"Did your mommy kiss it better?"

Horatio smiled sadly at the innocence of the question. "Well, no. See, my mother died a long time ago."

"Oh, she lives at Jesus' house now. My mommy does too." Her eyes dropped from his and she looked out the window to the horizon. "Do you want me to kiss it better?"

"You know, I'd like that."

Her eyes once again linked with his. She smiled before she rose up on her toes and brushed her lips softly against the mending wound, her child's lips leaving a comforting coolness on his heated skin.

"There, that should make it better for 6, 15 hours." She informed him authoritatively.

"There's just one problem. I don't know your name so I don't know who to thank."

"Lydia." She answered shyly, swinging to and fro.

"Thank you Lydia." He said, choking back a sob and blinking hard to stop the sting of tears threatening to break loose. Almost immediately she pulled back, drawing in on herself. "I did something wrong." She stuttered her lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears.

"No." he said urgently. "No." he softened his voice reaching out a hand to gently cup her cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I made you cry."

He drew her in to him wrapping her tiny frame in his arms. "No, no you didn't. Here's the thing." He lifted her onto his lap, "My mother's name was Lydia."

"Like mine?"

"Like yours. So you see, even though she's been in heaven for a long time, she still kissed my hurt all better through you. So, you didn't hurt me. Okay?"

She studied him, her liquid brown eyes digging into his soul, "I didn't kiss it all better." She said sadly.

"Why would you think that?"

"Gramma says some people have magic hearts." She brushed her hand over his eyes. "I don't see your magic. Did a bad man take it?"

Horatio looked up to see Calleigh watching the interchange, apprehension written clearly across her face.

"Yes sweetheart. A bad man took it."

She looked back out the window and began singing to herself. "friend ...blue sky. You.... again... magic...your blue eyes. lost in the circle.. day ... same, where are you going?" A tear dribbled down her cheek.

"Lydia?"

She looked up drawn back to their joint world by his voice her liquid black eyes locked to his blue. "I don't have enough." She confessed, pulling a small blue stone from her pocket. "But you can have it."

"You know the thing about magic Lydia," he said, folding her hand around the stone, "the thing about magic is that it comes in all kinds of packages even ones you can't see. And no matter how much you give it's always enough."

"Horatio." Calleigh broke in, hesitantly. "I'm sorry. Lydia, its story time and Horatio needs to go home."

"Can't he stay for story time, please? I'll be extra quiet."

"Lydia, he was hurt very badly a few days ago. Its time for him to go home and rest."

"If I promise to take care of him can he stay?"

"Calleigh. It's okay."

Calleigh moved her attention to him, assessing his strength and smiled inwardly at the growing spark that danced in his eyes.

"Okay." She gave in, "story time only. And you answer to Alexx." She added.

"And they lived happily ever after." Rosemary ended the story.

"Hey." Calleigh whispered, sitting beside him. "It looks like you found a friend."

Horatio smiled down at the little body snuggled in peaceful sleep against him. She stirred and he instinctively he pulled her closer taking comfort in the warmth she radiated. "He should be here, Cal. Not six feet underground."

"I know. I guess all we can do now is promise to do the best we can to make sure _they_ stay here and not in the ground." She brushed her fingers across the child's face her hand coming to rest on his arm. It's time to go. Speed's already called twice to check on you. He's threatening to tell Alexx you didn't go home after the funeral."

He nodded, acquiescing. "Goodbye Lydia. Thank you for the magic." He whispered to the child in his arms, gently kissing her forehead. With infinite care he laid her on a blanket and covered her with his suit coat."

"I'll pick it up tomorrow." Calleigh assured him and held out her hand. "Let's get you home."


	5. A Hero's Heroes

3 days later

"Hey H?" Eric called, leaning through the half open door to the lab.

He looked up from the bloody shirt he was analyzing at his team who stood just outside the door waiting.

"I think you'd better come up front." He said, a small smile betraying him.

"Is everything okay?"

"Up front." Speed insisted.

He looked to Calleigh who shrugged unable to fill him in.

"Okay."

He strode purposefully down the main hall feeling the eyes of his team on his back. He had spent the last two days under the constant ministrations of one or another of them. And true to Calleigh's prediction he'd had to endure a heated motherly lecture from Alexx for staying out so long (though she had not escaped unscathed either). And though he was back today with the doctor's consent he was rarely out of sight of one his little family.

"Would someone mind telling me what's going on?" He stopped just outside of the entrance way.

"Up front." Is all he receive from an overly stoic Speed.

A smile broke out across his face as he moved beyond the desk into the reception area.

"Lydia." He greeted her, going to one knee to accept a hug.

"You didn't say goodbye." She accused her hands on her hips in a very good imitation of him.

"Yes I did. But you, you were asleep."

"Oh. Okay." She shrugged, satisfied with his excuse and threw her arms around his neck nearly knocking him over.

"I was sad that you had gone."

"I was sad I had to go."

"You left your coat."

"Mm hmm. I didn't want you to get cold."

She carefully handed it to him.

"Thank you." He could feel the smiles and snickers of his team behind him.

"It smells like you." She told him shyly. "I like it."

He stood, looking over at Calleigh.

She put her hands up in surrender, "She wouldn't let me take it, wanted to bring it back to you herself."

"Is this true?" he asked the little girl.

"Uh huh. Who's that?" She pointed to Speed who was leaning up against the reception desk, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Lydia, this is Tim and Eric. Calleigh told your class about them." He pointed to each as he introduced them. "Gentlemen, this is Lydia."

She nodded somberly and marched past him, holding her hand out for Speed to take.

He smiled, looking at Calleigh as he wrapped her small hand in his. "It's nice to meet you Lydia."

"You see mo, mol, molcules." She informed him, struggling with the word.

"Molecules." He corrected grinning. "That's right."

She turned her attention to Eric, holding out her hand to him confidently. He knelt down bringing him to her level. "It's nice to meet you Lydia."

Her face screwed up in confusion as she studied his.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You don't look like a fish."

"Oh, well." He bulged his eyes out and sucked in his cheeks doing comical impression of a fish then brought his hands up and wiggled his fingers, a sure sign of a tickle on the way. She shrieked joyously and ran back to Horatio's protective embrace.

"He's funny." She whispered to him, her arms clasped tightly around his neck.

"I agree." He told her, sending a smile to his youngest team member overtop her head.

"Look gramma. He has his magic back." She took his face in her tiny hands.

"Yes, I can see that." A handsome older woman stepped forward.

Horatio stood, lifting the small child easily to rest on his hip. "Is this your grandmother?"

Lydia nodded happily. "Yep."

"Ma'am." He said, offering her his hand, "She's a beautiful girl."

"She is." The woman agreed. "It's nice to finally meet you, considering I've heard non stop about you for the last two days. She is very taken with you."

"As am I with her."

"Lydia, you need to give Lt. Caine your present and then we need to leave the policemen alone so they can do their job." She held out her arms taking the child from Horatio.

The girl nodded taking a rolled sheet of paper from her grandmother and slid down.

"Hasho, Hat." She frowned, unhappy with her inability to say his name.

Horatio knelt again, bringing her to him. "Horatio." He said, slowly helping her pronounce it. "But you know what? Most of my friends just call me H."

She looked back at the team for confirmation, surprised at their nods. Flustered she thrust the rolled parchment into his hands.

"What's this?" He asked as he carefully unrolled it.

"That one is me." She pointed to a small stick figure done in dark brown. "And that one is you." Her finger rested on the taller figure in the painting, painted in a light brown with a shock of orange hair. "We're holding hands." She pointed to the spot where the lines that were their arms met.

"I can see that. Thank you Lydia, it's beautiful."

He searched the picture over. "What's this?" he asked, fingering the small blue stone that held her magic.

"I taped my magic there real tightly so a bad guy can't ever take it from you. That way you will always have some."

"Thank you." he whispered, his voice wavering with emotion at her unselfish generosity and pulled her into his embrace.

"Lydia." Her grandmother called softly, holding out her hand.

"Will you come see me?" She asked, her arms tightly locked around his neck, her nose pressed to his.

"I will. I have some bad guys to catch and then I will."

"Okay." She said satisfied with his answer and pulled away walking over to Calleigh.

"Thank you little one." Calleigh whispered as she took the girl in her arms.

"The little girl tilted her head, looking at Calleigh with wonder. "It's pretty on you." She whispered, touching Calleigh's cheek.

"What is?"

"His magic."

Calleigh looked down, hiding the blush that betrayed her thoughts.

"Bye Mr. Tim. Bye Mr. Fish." Lydia waved to them, giggling at the face Eric pulled.

Grandmother and granddaughter were nearly out the door when she turned around and ran back, her arms wrapping Horatio in a tight hug.

"See you later alligator." She whispered to him.

"In a while crocodile." He countered, touching his forehead to hers.

She giggled softly, patted his cheeks and ran back taking her grandmothers hand.

Horatio stayed kneeling until the pair disappeared from sight.

"Calleigh." He said, looking down at the masterpiece in his hands. He waited until the room had cleared, leaving just the two of them. "That night, while we were searching for Jacob, you told me I didn't understand." He looked to her for an explanation.

"You said I didn't have anything to prove to you."

"And you don't."

"But that's not what I meant. When I said I would be standing as long as you are, I meant just that. Horatio, in some ways you are every bit as addicting as they are." She titled her head at the doors that Lydia had just disappeared through." When there's nothing left in us to give we take strength from you. As long as you have the energy and drive to be standing, those of us who care about you will be too. And when it all becomes too much and you need a refill... well, then... we'll be there to give it back. Isn't that the way it's supposed to work?"

She ran her hand down his cheek catching the magic that once again overflowed from his eyes. "Thank you for being my hero Horatio Caine."

"No, no Calleigh, thank you for being mine."


End file.
